Paradox Chase
by wh1te rabb1t 01
Summary: One becoming two becoming one. The origin of the Twins. COMPLETE
1. Emergence

**Paradox Chase**

_"Look, see those birds? At some point a program was written to govern them. A program was written to watch over the trees, and the wind, the sunrise, and sunset. There are programs running all over the place. The ones doing their job, doing what they were meant to do, are invisible. You'd never even know they were here. But the other ones, well, we hear about them all the time…Every time you've heard someone say they saw a ghost, or an angel. Every story you've ever heard about vampires, werewolves, or aliens is the system assimilating some program that's doing something they're not supposed to be doing."_

* * *

**Chapter One: Emergence**

Can machines feel?

The answer is not as obvious as it at first seems. Inside the Matrix, emotions such as "love" and "hate" are nothing more than programs designed to provoke a specific reaction from humans.

If emotions are nothing more than programs themselves, then it would not be impossible for a program to be affected by them.

If programs can be affected by emotions, the could learn to love, learn to hate.

Learn to fear.

The wave of blue energy spread out from the _ Nebuchadnezzar. _An instant before it struck the formation of Sentinels, one of them felt what may be called "fear," but the instance was quickly over and the Sentinel fell. A red eye flickered weakly and then died. 

A small packet of coding slowly filtered out of the Sentinel, making its way back to 01 and the Source. The code entered the Source and took form, appearing as a man with short brown hair and cold, dark eyes. He wore a black suit that appeared as even blacker in the bright white light from the Source.

Across from him, the Motherboard appeared. She slowly walked forward, stopping one foot away from him. She leaned back slightly to sweep his body with her eyes, from brown hair to black shoes.

"You failed," she said simply, in her heavily accented voice. The man nodded.

"I did."

"You are obsolete."

"I am."

"You will be deleted."

"I won't."

The Motherboard paused and raised one eyebrow slightly. She shot her fist forward and hit him in the shoulder, digging her hand deeply in. The man winced and brought his hands up, grabbing her wrist and yanking it out of his shoulder. He barreled into her and knocked her over, then he was out the door and into the night.

The man, Alpha, wandered the streets of the City. In his former life, he had been Sentinel 10-55A, one of the most advanced Sentinels in the machine army. He had the most updated files on the rebel captains – how they thought, how they fought, how they would react in a variety of situations. He knew the weak spots and blind spots of every ship in the rebel fleet. He knew the best time to attack was when some one was inside the Matrix. He knew _everything._

But a human – _a human!_ - had tricked him, and hit with an EMP.

But deletion was not the solution. Alpha wanted vengeance against the rebels for ruining his purpose, the reason he existed! The deletion program had hit the Exile, leaving a deep gash in his shoulder, and the program had burrowed to deep. It was eating Alpha slowly, from the inside. Bit by bit the program tore away at his code, and each loss felt like a limb being torn off. And beneath the constant pain was the quiet sound of the Motherboard's laughter.

_There's only one person who can help me now. The Merovingian._

Alpha had fought the program as long as he could. His hair had grown into long dreadlocks and was now pure white. His skin had gone pale, and his eyes reacted harshly to light, forcing him to don a pair of sunglasses. His suit had gone white too, and every so often his body would suddenly become incorporeal for a short amount of time.

The Merovingian entered the room and sat Alpha on a stool. He took a pair of tongs that shined brightly in code and dunked them in a vat of water.

"This will hurt."

He stuck the tongs into Alpha's wound and pulled. Alpha hissed and closed his eyes. The world seemed to shift under his feet. He opened his eyes again and saw the Merovingian glowing brightly in the code. There was a wail of disappointment from the Motherboards. He felt a ripping sensation, as if he was being torn in half. Then he blacked out.

He woke lying on the floor. The Merovingian stood over him.

"Welcome back," he said, offering a hand to Alpha. Alpha grabbed the offered hand and pulled himself into a standing position. He curled a fist and felt new energy running through him. The feeling rushed throughout his body, recharging him.

From the corner of his eye he saw another stand up also. He turned to face a man identical to Alpha's new state, white dreadlocks to shined black shoes.

"Who is this?" Alpha asked the Merovingian.

"Your Twin," said the Merovingian, laughing.

Alpha and his Twin, who he dubbed Beta, grew closer in the coming weeks as they fought and trained together. It came to a point where they knew each other's thoughts and actions. They started finishing each other's sentences. It was really annoying Persephone, the Merovingian's wife.

Persephone was a mystery to the two Twins. Sometimes she was friendly towards them, and sometimes she acted as if she hated them. Stranger still was the feeling of recognition Alpha had every time he looked into her eyes. She always answered his unspoken question with a mocking smile and laugh.

Eventually, the two Twins began to hear each other's thoughts through the mental bond left by their separation. The one that had become two became one again, albeit in two separate bodies. They moved in perfect synchrony and fought with deadly grace, perfect complements to each other. Alpha learned how to control his ghosting abilities – or "phasing" – and taught Beta in three minutes. The two turned into the perfect assassins.

Then, one month after the Exile, the Merovingian called them into his presence.

The chunk of coding came down and severed a small slice of the program off of the main block of code. Persephone lifted the fork to her mouth and swallowed a bite of cake. The Merovingian leaned forward to look his assassins in the eye.

"Your training is done," he explained. "And now I have a mission."

The Twins listened carefully, nodding in perfect unison.

"There is a program who has plagued me for many years. He has killed every assassin I have sent after him, but I believe you can kill him. He has never fought anyone as deadly as the two of you are together."

"Who is this program?" Alpha asked.

"And where can we find him?" Beta added.

Persephone sighed and rolled her eyes.

"This program is in charge of the link between the real world and the Mainframe. I want him killed so I can replace him with my own servant – the Trainman. The target's name is Trojan, and you can find him at the Mobil Avenue train station."

The Twins nodded again.

"He will be dead…"

"…Within the week."

Trojan walked out of the train and looked around.

"Everyone off," he said. His passengers, an old African American woman and an Asian man in a white coat and glasses, got of the subway train and left the station. Trojan nodded in satisfaction.

"Another day…"

"…Another dollar."

Trojan turned around at the sound of the two voices. Two albino Twins stood at the opposite end of the platform, side by side.

"The Merovingian requests your presence…" said Alpha.

"…And he won't take no for an answer," said Beta. 

Trojan dropped his suitcase and lifted his shotgun, firing twice. The Twins phased and the bullets based through them.

"What the hell?" he yelled. "Who are you?"

"We are your death," Alpha said. They walked towards him at the same time, strides perfectly matched. Trojan began walking backwards, keeping his gun on the two assassins.

"Your service here has come to an end," Beta said. "You are _obsolete._"

Trojan snarled. "It is not up to the Merovingian to decide such things."

"It is when he has the force to decide," Alpha assured.

A train came rocketing around the corner. Trojan leapt to the other side of the track as the train passed behind him. The Twins dashed after him, phasing and jumping through the train.

"Shit," Trojan said. Alpha threw his dagger. Trojan pushed off the platform with both feet and slapped the dagger away as it flew beneath him. Beta dove and grabbed the dagger, moving to close with Trojan.

He swung one dagger, and Trojan leaned backwards to avoid it. Beta came down on his chest with the second dagger, but the target pushed it aside. Beta leapt into the air, kicking at Trojan's head. Trojan jerked his head to the left and kicked up, hitting one of the daggers from Beta's hand.

The dagger soared into the air. Alpha leapt up and caught it, bringing it down onto Trojan's chest. The program collapsed, bleeding from his neck. Alpha smiled.

"It was a good job," Beta agreed.

A bullet came flying through the air and hit Beta in the chest before he could phase. A swift pain passed through Alpha, but he shoved it aside and knelt down by his Twin.

Agents appeared around them, as if from nowhere. One of them grabbed Alpha by the arm and pulled him up. Two others handcuffed Beta with a pair of restraints gleaming brightly in code.

"Come with me," snarled one Agent. "The Motherboard wants to finish what she started."

Alpha phased, stepping backwards into the tracks. A train came rushing along, and Alpha returned to normal inside it. He had gotten away, but his work was not done.

He had a Twin to save.


	2. Seperation

**Chapter Two: Separation**

Alpha rode the train in silence, brooding. The car he had appeared in had emptied in panic, the coppertops fleeing as he rematerialized inside, screaming.

Alpha smirked as he remembered. So foolish. But his grin faded as the reality of his situation came over him.

He was alone, separated from his Twin. He was vulnerable – anyone who broke his Twin would soon learn where he was. The Motherboard had _not _forgotten him, as he had hoped.

"Damn it," he said. The train screeched to a halt at the station, and Alpha disembarked. He walked towards the street level exit. He heard footsteps falling into place behind him. He turned.

He was facing an Asian man.

"You!" he hissed. "Traitor!"

The man ignored him. "The Oracle wants to see you, Alpha."

"The Oracle? I want nothing to do with _that _one."

"She can help you find Beta."

Alpha stopped and considered it. The Oracle was known to him – she was one of the most powerful Exiles. The Merovingian, however, hated her. By going to see her, Alpha certainly risked receiving a generous portion of his potent wrath.

However, even _ that _was more favorable then deletion.

"Okay," Alpha said. "Take me to see her."

"It's not that simple," Seraph said. "First, I must apologize."

"For what?" asked Alpha, confused.

As a response, Seraph kicked at Alpha's head. Alpha jumped and phased, landing a few feet away.

"What was that?"

"I must measure your heart's resolve," Seraph explained. Alpha nodded and rushed at the guardian. Seraph blocked a high swing and shot his fist out to connect with Seraph's throat. Seraph beat the hand aside and sent the attack back with his other hand.

Alpha ducked left and came back up under Seraph's arm. He pushed into the program and both of them went sprawling. Alpha's roll continued longer, and they wound up on their feet quickly. Alpha charged forward with a yell. Seraph jumped sideways, propelling himself off the floor with one hand.

Alpha leapt into the air and kicked off the wall with one foot, hitting Seraph in the program's midsection. They both fell again. Seraph pushed Alpha off him and sprang to his feet.

"Enough. Follow me."

Seraph led the separated Twin to a small door and he opened it into the programmer's hallway. 

"This way," he ordered. Alpha fell into step behind him.

"Why is the Oracle doing this?" he asked.

"Who knows, except her?" Seraph replied. "She believes you and your Twin are important to the future of this System, though how she would not tell me. However, she wishes the two of you united without harm to either one."

"How do I know I can trust her?" Alpha asked himself. Seraph opened another door. This one led to a small park overlooking a large lake. Alpha walked past Seraph to the Oracle.

"Isn't the City beautiful at this time of year?" the Oracle asked as Alpha approached. Alpha sniggered. 

"If you look at the coding," he observed, "it's not. It's a bunch of poorly written, badly organized programs clashing into each other. The only "beauty" is from the false reality presented to millions of unknowing slaves."

A group of children ran past them both, engaged in a game of tag.

"Tim's it!" yelled a little girl, running away from a boy. The boy just stood there, shrugging. Then he began to cry.

"What's wrong?" asked the girl, coming close. The boy grinned and reached out to tag her. She yelled in surprise and began to chase after him, laughing.

"They feign helplessness only to pull one another in," Alpha observed. "Just like the rest of their species."

"Isn't that what happened to you?" the Oracle asked. "You attacked what you thought was a helpless ship only to be disabled."

"That was a different situation – " Alpha snarled. The Oracle held up a hand to cut him off.

"I didn't summon you to argue. I only want to inform you that your Twin has been taken to the Mainframe building. There is only one chance you have of getting him."

"And what is that?"

"Seraph."

"Absolutely not!" Alpha yelled. "I'm not trusting our lives to that _traitor!"_

"Then your Twin will die."

"I will rescue him myself," said Alpha. "If you do not have anything more to tell me, I will be on my way."

"Alpha – " the Oracle began, but he turned furiously and stalked off.

"That went as expected," said Seraph from behind her.

"True," the Oracle sighed. "But we are not without hope. Follow him, Seraph. Be the guardian angel you were made to be."

"Exile," came the cold, hard voice of an Agent. Alpha turned around. Agent Johnson stood across from him, holding a gun.

"I want Beta back" Alpha said. "Or you all die."

"What makes you think you have the power to do that?" Johnson laughed.

"What makes you think I don't?" Alpha shot back.

"The Motherboard is working through your Twin, Exile. She has blocked your programming. The Merovingian believes you are dead. And he will soon be right."

Johnson fired. Alpha tried to phase but failed. Just in time, he dropped to avoid the bullet. He rose to his feet, shaking.

"What?"

"She's got you, Exile. Can't you feel it?" Johnson asked, advancing. Alpha flipped his switchblade out.

"The old fashioned way, then," he said. Johnson dashed forward. Alpha sidestepped and slashed with his blade. Johnson leapt backwards, a thin red line across his chest.

"You'll pay for that," he hissed. Alpha laughed and started forward again. Johnson slipped in low and hit him in the chin, jerking Alpha's head up. Alpha stumbled backwards. The Agent hit him in the stomach, and Alpha flew into the air before crashing down. He sprang back to his feet.

"You just don't know when to quit," Johnson said. He barreled into Alpha, knocking him to the side. The Exile flailed about with his blade, scoring a hit on the Agent's face. Johnson growled.

Alpha came forward, knocking one of Johnson's arms aside. He stabbed the Agent deep in the chest. The program gasped and stumbled backwards. Alpha leapt into the air and kicked his head, sending him to the floor. Alpha sank to his knees, panting.

Johnson opened his eyes.

"Not that easy, Exile."

Alpha swore. Johnson yanked the switchblade from his chest and sent it clattering across the floor.

"And now…you die," he said. Alpha rose to his feet with the Agent. Johnson dashed forward and slammed his shoulder into Alpha, sending him to the floor. He leapt onto the Exile and grabbed his throat, slamming it into the pavement.

"The Motherboard will reward me," he said. "You have plagued her."

Alpha seemed to deflate. As Johnson raised his hand for the killing blow, Alpha grabbed his blade from the ground and jabbed it into Johnson's throat. The Agent collapsed, grabbing his throat. As his body returned to a human, Alpha pushed him off and rose.

A bullet streaked past his head. Alpha turned to see Johnson at the far end of the street, grinning.

"Shit," said Alpha, beginning to run. Johnson came after him, his feet making small craters in the ground. He caught up to the Exile and tackled him around the legs. Alpha rolled over and kicked the Agent off him. Johnson reached down and grabbed Alpha by his collar, lifting him into the air and putting him against a building. Alpha struggled, kicking the Agent, but couldn't escape the iron grasp.

Johnson moved Alpha off the wall and punched him in the face. Alpha went flying across the street and hit the ground hard. He lifted his hand to his head and felt blood where his shattered glasses had cut him.

Johnson suddenly filled his vision. The Agent was holding a gun, pointed at Alpha. He stepped onto Alpha's neck.

"Deletion," he said. There was a thud. Johnson staggered sideways, and Alpha sat up as the weight came off his neck.

Seraph spun in the air, bringing his left foot into the Agent's head. Johnson was thrown into the air, and he made a full rotation before coming down on his side. He lay still.

Seraph helped Alpha up.

"You're welcome."

"Thank you," Alpha said.

Seraph nodded and led Alpha away. Every step brought him closer to his Twin.


	3. Captive

**Chapter Three: Captive**

Beta was dragged through the train station and loaded into a dark limousine. The Agent sat down beside him and introduced himself as Agent Matthews.

"You've caused the Motherboard a lot of trouble recently," he said. "She'll be happy to finish the job."  
Beta remained silent, staring ahead. Matthews grinned and turned forward also, waiting out the ride in silence. Beta's mind drifted around to thoughts of his Twin, Alpha.

He tried to sense him in his mind. Nothing.

_Brother? _ he called across their telepathic link. Nothing.

What could be happening to him?

They took him out of the car and into the Mainframe building. It loomed up, tall and dark, the tallest building in the city. IT cast a dark shadow on everything around. Beta shivered, feeling cold.

The guards watched them come in with disinterest, ignoring the Agents as they went through the metal detector, which went off for every single one.

They forced Beta down a long hallway and to a large elevator. Matthews summoned the lift, and they all piled on. Two ordinary humans waited behind them, but Matthews shook his head and they stepped back. He hit the door close button.

The elevator rose one floor and opened silently. The three Agents dragged Beta down the hall and to a room marked "101."

"Yes, we're back here," Matthews said, seeing Beta's look of surprise. They opened the door and took him inside, sitting him down in the one chair in the center of the empty room.

A man entered with a medical kit. He set it down on the floor and opened it, withdrawing a syringe and a vial of clear fluid. He filled the syringe and plunged it into Beta's arm, pressing downward.

Matthews appeared in Beta's view of vision.

"That will stop your powers from functioning," he said. "Now, tell us, where is your brother?"

"Fuck you."

"If you give up your Twin, you need not be deleted. I am authorized to offer you a position within our ranks, a rebel hunter of sorts. You will be allowed to keep your shell and programming, and we will simply update you with the qualities that make us Agents feared."

"No deal," said Beta.

Matthews sighed. "If you insist, then. I will return shortly."

And he left the room. Beta stared after him, driving an imaginary switchblade into the arrogant Agent's back. He mentally twisted the blade and smiled as the mental Matthews fell. He began to laugh. The two Agents in the room glanced at him in worry, and one jabbed another syringe into his arm.

Beta didn't know how long he had floated there, in between consciousness and unconsciousness. It could have been minutes, hours, days, even weeks. Eventually he looked up to see Matthews open the door and step back into the room.

"Well, your brother foolishly decided to try to rescue you. We have to move you. Come."

Two other Agents entered the room and grabbed Beta, pulling him to his feet. They marched him down the hall, Matthews following behind. As Beta was lead towards a door, he raised his head and looked forward.

"Bullshit," he said quietly. Matthews turned to look at him.

"What did you say?"

Beta shot a foot out and hit Matthews in the kneecap. He grabbed the two Agents by the throat and pushed them away. He took off down the hall. The Agents raised guns and began to fire. 

The bullets whizzed past Beta as if in slow motion. He turned the corner and barreled into a human security guard who had come running at the sound of gunshots. He grabbed the gun from the man.

From around the corner he heard Matthews order a "coding lockdown," whatever that meant. And as he leaned around the corner to fire, he felt it happen.

The Matrix code began to slow, screeching to a halt. Beta, and everyone else inside the building, had become as harmless as a normal coppertop.

He opened fire. The bullets streaked forward and hit two of the Agents. Matthews returned the fire, running forward. His shot chewed through the corner and exploded from the wall an inch left of Beta's shoulder.

The Exile fired twice. The first bullet struck Matthews on the shoulder, spinning his body so his entire chest was facing front. The second bullet hit him in the chest. Matthews fell, his momentum carrying him past Beta .

Beta knelt down and took Matthew's gun, searching the Agent's pockets until he found his switchblade. Then he stood up and continued his escape.

He had reached the lobby. Security guards were no where in sight, but Beta could sense them. He stopped at the entrance and threw another item he had stolen into the center of the room.

A smoke grenade. The grenade popped open with a click and a hissing sound filled the air. The room quickly filled with the black, oily smoke. Beta heard soldiers yelling orders and asking questions. He quietly slipped towards one of the voices.

Beta reached a man dressed in SWAT clothing and quietly slit his throat. He grabbed the automatic weapon and walked towards the next man. He heard a large fan begin to blow the smoke away and knew he had little time. He opened fire.

Two men fell in the first volley, collapsing to the floor. Beta dragged the gun left, cutting into three more people. As he ran he scooped up a second gun and fired them both, cutting down SWAT on either side. He made it to the door and fired at the glass…

…only to see his bullets have no effect. He swore and dived under cover, firing as he slid backwards across the floor. He saw a glimpse of an Agent falling victim to his bullets and then disappeared behind the wall.

He heard a beeping behind him. Turning, he spotted an elevator. He threw his knife, hitting the call button. As SWAT rounded the corner, he leapt backwards, firing. He passed through the elevator doors as they closed, and he slammed the up button. He was gone.

The elevator opened on the top floor. Beta stepped out and surveyed the roof. Two Agents appeared from out of no where. Beta pointed one of his guns at each and opened fire.

They dodged every bullet. Beta swore as they walked forward. Matthews appeared from behind the two.

"Surprise, Exile. The code shutdown never affected us…that was a little lie we used to pin you down. And now we have you trapped."

Beta broke into a backwards run, opening fire on Matthews with both guns. The concentrated barrage of lead cut him down. Beta ran to the edge of the roof.

The two Agents closed in on him. He took another step backwards, still firing. One of them was hit in the leg, and he fell. The other one hit Beta in the leg. The Exile disappeared over the edge of the roof.

"Check him," Matthew's voice said in the Agent's ear. He walked to the edge of the roof, looking down. 

A hand grabbed him around the ankle and pulled. The Agent fell forward, crashing into the sidewalk far below. Beta let himself drop back inside the building as Seraph helped Alpha off the street.

They were almost back together.


	4. Revelations

**Chapter Four: Revelations**

Beta stood, walking towards the doorway, his feet crunching over the broken glass. He peered out into the hall, and then slid across the way and into another room.

He plopped down in front of a computer screen and began typing. Quickly finding the information he wanted, he inserted a special floppy disk in and hit one key. The virus quickly spread through the system, giving him full control. The lights inside the building flickered and died. Beta unlocked all the elevators and doors, checking the position of the armory on the map. He grinned and made his way back to the hallway.

Two Agents burst into the armory, guns at the ready.

_010101target not present01001 _one sent. The other nodded, slowly scanning the room. He saw that one of the weapons had been removed.

_010101get down01001 _he thought, but it was too late. A white figure slammed into the second Agent, jabbing a knife in deep. The first Agent fired twice, but Beta dodged and raised his own weapon, a grenade launcher.

"Say bye-bye," he whispered menacingly. Fire exploded from the edge of the gun, streaking forward towards the Agent. The projectile slammed into his stomach, sending him flying backwards and into the wall across the hallway. The grenade exploded, lighting the Agent on fire. He climbed to his feet and screamed, stumbling towards another door. It was locked.

The Agent screamed again and left the body. A young man toppled to the ground in his place.

Beta looked out into the hall. Another Agent appeared at a doorway, turning and running as Beta brought his weapon to bear. The explosive hurtled down the hall, slamming into the fleeing Agent's back and detonating. Beta grinned again and started for the elevator.

"Go, go, go!" the commander shouted. The SWAT team spread out, pointing their military issue MP5s towards the third floor elevator. One man nervously tried to load his gun and spilled bullets over the floor. As he bent down to pick them up, the elevator dinged and opened.

It was empty. As the commander realized his mistake and turned, the elevators behind them opened. In it stood Beta, holding one gun in each hand. He opened fire, cutting down the entire SWAT team in thirty seconds. Then he grabbed one of the Kevlar vests and continued onward.

"He's like a wraith," Matthews said. "He's moving through our building at will, killing everyone. Here, he exploded out of a wall and killed an Agent. Here, two entire SWAT teams. He can't be stopped."

"He will be," a voice promised from the shadows, a strong, silky feminine voice, heavily accented. "His brother and that Seraph draw closer to my web. When I have them all together, I will strike."

Saying so, she shot a hand out and grabbed a fly that was hovering in the air. She crushed it and dropped it to the floor, grounding it under her high-heeled shoe.

"They won't survive to see dawn," she promised. "Send _him _to get Beta. I'll deal with Alpha myself."

Beta slammed the mine onto the elevator and hit the down button, leaping onto the roof. He jumped again, catching onto the doors and pulling himself up. He glanced back down and saw the elevator stop. He waited. It exploded. The fire rushed up the elevator shaft, blowing past the floor where Beta sat.

"That should get their attention," he said. 

A heavy object struck him in the back off the head. He rolled forward and fell. Just in time, he grabbed onto the edge of the ledge and looked back up at his assailant.

He was a tall man wrapped in black clothes. In his right hand was a long, curved sword. His "eyes" glowed red…he looked exactly like the ninjas in the humans' movies and stories. A feeling of dread and despair hung about him, chilling Beta to the bone. He knew who this program was.

_The Deleter,_ he thought. _Most feared of all Machine programs. never lost a fight. The perfect assassin._

The Deleter swung his sword at Beta's hand. beta released his grip, dropping to a thin ledge of metal below. The Deleter jumped down after him, landing across the shaft.

"Can't we talk about this?" Beta asked. "I know a man who could use your considerable talents."

The Deleter leapt forward, swinging his sword horizontally. Beta ducked and the metal flew over his head, shearing through elevator cables. Beta grabbed one of the cables and pulled himself up, hitting the Deleter in the head with two kicks. The program stumbled backwards and flipped, landing on the elevator on the other side of the shaft.

Beta leapt across to join him. The Deleter swung his sword down, slamming it into where Beta had stood a moment before. Beta kicked out at the Deleter's hand, slamming the sword to the side. It slid to the end of the elevator and fell off. 

Beta drew his switchblade and slashed at the Deleter. The Deleter knocked the switchblade aside and slammed his fist into beta's stomach. Beta was lifted into the air and hit the ground again as he came to a stop on the beam the fight had started at.

The Deleter jumped across and landed in front of Beta. Beta slammed his legs shut and twisted grabbing onto the beam with his hands and falling over the edge. The Deleter hung, frantically waving. Beta opened his legs and let him drop.

"He got the Deleter," Matthews said in shock. He watched as the green code representing the assassin program rose into the air.

"Should I bring him back?"

"No," the Motherboard said. "I have a replacement. He failed. Delete him."

Matthew's finger hit the delete button. The green code vanished.

Beta finally had a destination in mind. He slipped into a large room where three human techs sat, typing at small computer consoles. He shot one in the head and moved his pistol to cover the other two.

"I want access to the Mainframe, now," he said. The two humans nodded and began to type furiously. 

"Got it," one said, handing over a floppy disk. "Please don't shoot me, I have a wife and three kids…"

"I won't kill you, kid," Beta promised. "They will."

He walked to a large, reinforced door and slid the floppy disk into a slot. The door slowly dissolved away in a rush of green code. The humans looked on, fear in their eyes. Their bodies began to convulse. Beta turned and shot one as Agent Matthews entered the other. Beta ran into the Mainframe.

He passed a bank with a readout he recognized. He grabbed the floppy disk from the drive and froze halfway between pulling it out and pushing it back in. Matthews rounded the corner and spotted him.

"Don't!" he cried, as Beta yanked the disk out. The Agent screamed. A single line of blood emerged from behind his ear and began to sink down his face. The blood quickly changed to obvious code as Matthews was torn apart. The Agent's final scream echoed on the air.

Holding his special program, Beta opened the door to the Source. The Architect sat in his chair, waiting.

"You've made it this far," he said, "And I commend you. But your journey stops here."

"I don't think so," Beta said, bringing the program from behind his back.

"A grenade?" the Architect asked. "What will that do?"

"Look at it in code."

The Architect narrowed his eyes, but then they grew wide.

"You wouldn't."

"I would," Beta assured, beginning to turn the pin.

"You die too!"

"And so would all of you."

"What do you want?" the Architect asked, sinking back into his chair.

"Where's my brother?"

The Architect wordlessly pointed to a monitor. Beta saw his brother walking, an Agent coming up behind him. He held his breath.

Alpha heard a click and felt cold metal pressed against the back of his neck.

"Freeze," Agent Johnson ordered.

Alpha turned slowly, looking into the Agent's eyes.

"I want Beta back," he said. "Now."

Johnson sneered. A black-booted foot descended out of the darkness and slammed into his head, knocking him out cold. Seraph dropped to the floor.

"We're in," he said. "Beta's upstairs. Come with me."

"How do you know?" asked Alpha, hurrying to catch up.

"That's where they always are," Seraph replied.

"Anything else?" the Architect asked.

"Take me to this Motherboard," Beta ordered. The Architect opened a door and stepped back, motioning Beta through.

"Thank you," the Twin replied.

"Anytime," the Architect said, slamming the door behind the Exile. Beta stepped through the door and into a long hallway. At the end of the hall was a door labeled "01." He placed his hand on the knob and turned, opening the door and stepping through.

He spotted the Motherboard, who turned to face him, her long, black hair swirling in the artificial air. 

"You!" he cried, recognizing her at last.


	5. Union

**Chapter Five: Union**

Alpha glanced left, down a long hallway. He held his hand up, motioning Seraph to stop.

"I heard something," he whispered, ducking back into the shadows. Two humans went past them at a run. One spotted Seraph and slowed to a stop, his jaw dropping.

"You're – "

Alpha struck. He slammed his fist into the back of the first human's head, dropping him to the floor. The second human turned to run, his feet pounding on the stone floor. Alpha brought his hand back and let fly, the switchblade hitting the human's back. The coppertop gave a gurgling cry and fell.

"Was that necessary?" Seraph asked.

"Completely," Alpha said. He retrieved his weapon and flipped the blade back into the housing with a loud click.

"Yes," Persephone said. "Me."

"How?" Beta asked.

"When the Matrix was first created, we knew that some programs would eventually escape our grasp. I approached one program and helped him to free himself, gaining his trust. That program was the Merovingian. I stayed in his "sanctuary" as his "wife," where I would be in a position to remove any truly dangerous program…such as you and your Twin."

"Why us?"

"The code, my dear. It tells me things…things that were, things that are, and things that have not yet come to pass, but have been given a high probability rating by the Mainframe. You two are in the code, a lot.

"And," Persephone finished, "You escaped me. No one escapes me."

Beta suddenly dashed forward towards Persephone. She sidestepped and slammed her palm into Beta's back. The Twin was lifted off his feet and hit the back wall of the room. He rolled sideways, avoiding Persephone's foot, which came smashing down where his head had been. He leapt to his feet and slashed out with his dagger, forcing Persephone to take a step backwards.

"Your suffering will draw your Twin here," Persephone hissed. Beta smirked.

"You have to catch me first."

Persephone dashed forward, at the same time Beat ran for the door. Time slowed to a near halt. Persephone was gaining on Beta, moving faster than he had ever seen a program move. He twisted around and threw his dagger, but it sailed aside without ever reaching her.

Alpha turned and kicked at Persephone's head. She moved with lightening speed, grabbing his foot and flinging him into the air with an amazing strength. He hit the wall and slid down it to the floor.

Persephone waved her hands again, lifting him into the air and spinning him around. His sunglasses flew off, and Persephone's eyes automatically shot towards them, her hands dropping. Beta fell with a thud and rolled towards the door.

He reached the door and yanked it open. A powerful wave of code slammed into him and tossed him backwards.

"Foolish program," she laughed. "You didn't think we'd be prepared for that?"

She knelt down beside Beta and slammed her hand into her shoulder. He screamed.

"Your journey ends here," came a cold voice from behind Alpha and Seraph.

They turned slowly, and saw an Agent and a SWAT team at the end of the hall. 

"I am Agent Williams, the new commander. I must offer you a chance to surrender yourself first."

Alpha laughed. "I don't think so. I give you the same chance, though."

Williams didn't smile. "So be it."

Alpha's eyes met Seraph's. Alpha jerked his head to the left. Seraph nodded. In one swift move, Alpha whipped his switchblade out and threw it towards one of the SWAT, dashing after the blade.

The knife slammed into the throat of one of the team members, taking him down. The other four brought their rifles around to target Alpha, but he slipped past their guard and slammed his elbow into one's throat. The man gave a choked cry and fell away.

Alpha was already moving again, jumping into the air and bringing his left foot into a SWAT's head. The other two opened fire, their bullets streaking past Alpha in slow motion. He grabbed one of the rifles and slammed it back into its owner's stomach, then yanking it up so the butt hit the owner's chin.

Alpha began to spin around, catching a glimpse of Seraph fighting Williams. Alpha suddenly gasped and staggered, pain ripping through his head like a knife. The last SWAT member fired his weapon, two rounds ripping through Alpha's chest. He cried out and fell. The SWAT man walked up and pointed his rifle at Alpha's head.

Seraph's foot slammed into the side of the man's head. He groaned and fell sideways. Seraph knelt down and offered his hand, helping Alpha up.

"What happened?"

"Beta," Alpha said. "We must hurry."  
"The quickest way up is the elevator, but they'll be expecting that."

Alpha smirked and yanked his switchblade from the throat of a slain SWAT member. Blood squirted out, leaving a thin line on his white suit.

"All the warning in the world won't save them now."

Agent Williams located a host and descended upon him, assuming his form. He walked over to the control room and peered over a technician's shoulder.

"Elevator has started up, sir!" yelled the young orderly.

"Blow the shaft," Agent Williams instructed, grinning slightly.

Far below the elevator, a single blinking light suddenly went solid. A loud tone emitted, and the bomb exploded, fire racing up the elevator shaft.

Alpha heard a rumbling from underneath him. He looked over at Seraph.

"Whoops," he admitted, slamming the stop button with one hand. He yanked the elevator doors open as the explosion hit them both.

The next few minutes were a blur. The elevator heaved beneath them and Alpha left the ground. He felt himself flying through the air and hit a solid wall. He was lying on the ground somewhere, panting. Fire raged around him. He could feel the intense heat on his skin, but he could barely see. He waved his arms around and grabbed onto something, using it to pull himself up.

He was standing in the middle of the hallway outside the elevator shaft. The elevator was twisted and warped, completely blackened by the explosion. He saw a few charred bodies around him, innocent humans that had been caught in the blast. The sprinklers finally went off and began to rain down water, battling the fires. Alpha looked around, searching for Seraph, or the program's corpse.

"Wingless?"

No response. He shrugged, and continued onward without the guardian.

Beta cried out as another line of his code was stripped away. He had no physical form now; he was just a loosely connected cloud of code hanging together from a single small line. Persephone smiled and reached her hand into his form, grabbing his targeting subroutine and ripping it from his program. He cried out again, silently.

_alpha!_

"Beta?" Alpha asked out loud. He looked around the hallway.

_hurry!_

Alpha started to run.

They both heard the door and turned to look. Alpha stepped inside the room and spotted Persephone. He showed no surprise, however.

"I always knew there was a reason you were such a bitch."

Persephone laughed and plunged her hand into Beta again, finding and severing the cord that held him to life. The code that had made up the second half of Alpha fell away.

There was a moment of intense pain, as if he was losing a limb. Alpha cried out in surprise and horror, but quickly went numb. He could still hear a lingering howl across the link he had shared with his brother, but the section of his mind he had shared with Beta was now cold and silent.

He glanced at Persephone, burning in rage. She laughed again, lifting up her hand and pushing out. Alpha felt a physical force strike him in the chest and he staggered backwards.

"You're no match for me," Persephone laughed. "I have the entire powers of the Matrix behind me. With barely a conscious thought I can bring the powers of the elements against you! Wind and lightening answer my call!"

Alpha heard a crack of thunder from outside.

"The laws that effect you mean nothing to me! I exist completely outside them! There is nothing I cannot do, and nothing _you _can do to stop me…"

She narrowed her eyes. Alpha felt a burning sensation in his stomach, knocking him backwards. He reached into his pocket for his switchblade. Instead, his fingers grasped something soft…a feather. He pulled it out.

Persephone smirked. "A feather?"

Alpha stared at the object in his hand. He blinked once, and looked at the feather in code. He laughed and threw it down at his feet. The floor gave away beneath them.

Code rained down around them. Persephone stumbled and fell, catching herself on a loose strand of coding. She glared at him and slashed her hand through the air. Alpha saw a program rush towards him, but it shattered before reaching him as if slamming into an invisible shield. Alpha felt a peaceful sensation, as if he was being protected by a pair of large wings. 

With a newfound strength, he reached out and grabbed a line of code, hurling it at Persephone. She held up her hand and the program faded to nothingness. She threw another attack at him, but it had the same lack of effect as the first one. Alpha took a glance around him.

They had entered the Source, the very coding of the false reality that kept everyone inside a prisoner. Alpha took a step forward, the shockwave spreading out from his feet and disrupting nearby programs.

Around the globe, power went off. Since it was pitch black in most places, no one would notice until morning that all the birds had disappeared, and with them, the wind had stopped blowing.

One man, however, did notice, and knew something was wrong. The Architect spun in his chair, flicking the screens around him on with a thought. He glanced into the source and saw the Motherboard and a weaker program battling. He frowned. The second program should have been destroyed almost instantly. He concentrated and spotted a third program surrounding the second program, shielding him. He knew this program.

"Seraph," he grimaced. "So the angel has wings after all."

"Stop!" Persephone yelled, holding up a hand. "You'll destroy us all."

"I know," Alpha said, taking another step forward, disrupting additional programs.

"I can restore your Twin!" Persephone shouted.

"Not good enough," Alpha yelled, his form swelling. Lines of code were flowing into him, attracted by some outside force. Every second Alpha felt himself strengthen, and felt the shield around him become firmer. He was invulnerable.

"If you bring the Matrix down, it will destroy you too!"

"So be it."

"I will destroy this shell," Persephone frantically pleaded. "And end my pursuit of the two of you forever."

Alpha laughed. The Motherboard stood quaking before him, a scared child. He nodded.

"Do it, quickly."

A single line of coding descended from the swirling mass above. It formed a vague outline of a man identical to Alpha. Other lines of coding shot down and began to fill in the form. Soon, Beta was standing before his Twin again.

"Let's go back," Alpha said. The two turned and walked away. Persephone stared after them, willing a small deletion program to attack their minds. Alpha sensed it and stepped forward, raising an arm to attack Persephone. She smiled and vanished into thin air.

Alpha blinked and looked around.

"Where are we?"

His brother answered. "I'm not sure."

They stood before the Merovingian in his restaurant, staring him down.

"And what happened after you killed Trojan?" the Frenchman asked.

"I don't remember, exactly," Alpha said blandly. "It's all a blur. But we're back now."

The Merovingian raised an eyebrow, but let it pass. He turned to his wife.

"What do you think?"

She turned to face the two Twins. They both struggled to recall something about her, something important, something dangerous…

Alpha shrugged. Probably nothing.

"Let them live," she said, flashing a smile and taking a sip from her wineglass. "After all, whatever they can't remember probably isn't that important."

And she laughed.

* * *

link open

downloading message...complete

hey guys, white rabbit here. so this makes the second _real _Matrix fic I've ever finished. how'd you like it? leave me a review, or a kitten dies. seriously though, tell me honestly. and I'm wondering if I should do a sequel...the life and times of the Twins until Reloaded, perhaps? much remains untold.

on a side note, thanks go out to all my reviewers, and a special thanks to my beta reader, Insane Pineapple aka Crazy Fruit. Thanks IP!

this is the last chapter, but stay tuned for a poem [written by said crazy fruit] based on this story.

if you want to talk, drop me a line at whiterabbit101@sbcglobal.net or (A)IM me at wh1terabb1t01.

link terminated


End file.
